Illinois Book Awards
The winners of the 2023 Illinois Readers’ Choice Awards are in!
Monarch: Are You A Cheeseburger? by Monica Arnaldo
Bluestem: Twins by Varian Johnson, illustrated by Shannon Wright
Caudill: When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
Click on the links below to see the current 2024 Illinois Book Award nominees!
- Monarch Award (Grades K-3) (PDF)
- Bluestem Award (Grades 3-5) (PDF)
- Rebecca Caudill Award (Grades 4-8) (PDF)
Reader’s Choice Award Challenge!
Read books from the 2024 Monarch, Bluestem and Caudill Award lists to earn prizes! Monarch readers who read all 20 books from their list and Bluestem and Caudill readers who read 10 books from theirs earn a paperback book of their own to keep. Track the books you read for the challenge using the Beanstack app (iOS/Google Play) or website. Prefer paper? Register and pick up a log at the Youth Services Desk! This program is open to all children in grades K-8.
2024 Monarch Award (Grades K-3)
Avocado Asks: What Am I? by Mokomo Abe
Description:
An avocado faces an identity crisis when it doesn’t know if it’s a fruit or a vegetable!
There’s a Skeleton Inside You! by Idan Ben-Barack; illustrated by Julian Frost
Description:
Two aliens are on their way to a party when their space ship breaks down. They ask for help from the reader and show how the bones, muscles, and nerves work to help the aliens fix their ship.
Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us by Lauren Castillo
Description:
When a storm separates Hedgehog from her lifelong friend, Mutty, she bravely sets out to find him and makes some very good new friends in the process.
Swashby and the Sea by Beth Ferry, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
Description:
No-nonsense Captain Swashby is used to the sea meeting all of his needs and when, after his retirement, new neighbors disturb his solitary life, the sea helps in just the right way.
Not Quite Snow White by Ashley Franklin; illustrated by Ebony Glenn
Description:
Tameika is excited to audition for the school’s Snow White musical, but when she overhears her classmates say she is too tall, chubby, and brown to play Snow White, she questions whether she is right for the part.
Capybara is Friends with Everyone by Maddie Frost
Description:
Capybara will do anything for his friends. But it’s exhausting–and when Capybara meets a potential new friend who doesn’t seem to be responding to his advances, Capybara learns a valuable lesson. His friends like him just for who he is.
How to Find a Fox by Kate Gardner; illustrated by Ossi Saarinen
Description:
Look for tracks. Listen for yips. Be as still as a pebble… Follow along as we explore different landscapes and seasons in search of one of our planet’s most graceful and enchanting creatures: the red fox!
Stormy: A Story About Finding a Forever Home by Guojing
Description:
A stray pup. A kind woman. A fierce storm. How they come together is at the heart of this beautiful wordless picture book that celebrates patience, friendship, and finding a forever home.
Set Your Alarm, Sloth: More Advice for Troubled Animals from Dr. Glider by Jess Keating; illustrated by Pete Oswald
Description:
Dr. Sugar Glider is back to help animals with problems large and small! A sloth with algae on her back, a sneezing iguana, a leaderless clownfish, and a lovesick egret are just a few of the creatures who call on Dr. Glider for advice. Featuring hilarious stories and unbelievable true facts, plus a glossary and a list of species, this nonfiction picture book is sure to fascinate and entertain young nature lovers.
Ducks Run Amok! by J.E. Morris
Description:
Ducks take over one turtle’s pond in this hilarious rhyming tale! When a flock of ducks arrives at an unsuspecting turtle’s pond, the turtle is mistaken for a green duck and can’t seem to convince anyone otherwise. Can the turtle find a way to take back the pond and get some peace and quiet once more?
Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o; illustrated by Vashti Harrison
Description:
When five-year-old Sulwe’s classmates make fun of her dark skin, she tries lightening herself to no avail, but her encounter with a shooting star helps her understand there is beauty in every shade.
Meesha Makes Friends by Tom Percival
Description:
When it comes to making friends, Meesha often doesn’t know what to do, what to say, or when to say it. But she does know how to make things, so one day she decides to make her own ‘friends‘ out of found materials. And best of all, her creations just might help her make a real-life friend, too!
Pizza: A Slice of History by Greg Pizzoli
Description:
Do YOU like PIZZA? Because right now, somewhere in the world, someone is eating it. Did you know that in the United States we eat 350 slices of pizza every second? Or that in Sweden they serve pizza with bananas and peanuts? All over the world, people love pizza-but where did it come from? And who made the first pizza? Join award-winning author and illustrator Greg Pizzoli as he travels through time and around the globe to discover the mouth-watering history of pizza. Bursting with color, flavor, and fun facts, Pizza!: A Slice of History reveals the delicious story of the world’s best food.
Ship in a Bottle by Andrew Prahin
Description:
Mouse lives in constant fear of the cat and is searching for a better life, so she sets off in her ship in a bottle to look for a new home.
This Very Tree: A Story of 9/11, Resilience and Regrowth by Sean Rubin
Description:
A deeply moving nonfiction picture book about the 9/11 Survivor Tree and the spirit of America.
Chez Bob by Bob Shea
Description:
A lazy alligator comes up with a plan to lure his prey by opening up a restaurant for birds–until he realizes that birds are even better as friends!
Mel Fell by Corey R. Tabor
Description:
Readers will delight in turning their book sideways and upside down to follow Mel on her journey from downward fall to triumphant flight in this tale of self-confidence and taking a leap of faith.
Ogilvy by Deborah Underwood; illustrated by T.L. McBeth
Description:
When Ogilvy moves to a new town, the possibilities feel endless. But in this town, bunnies in dresses play ball and knit socks, and bunnies in sweaters make art and climb rocks. Ogilvy wants to do everything–and won’t let a sweater or a dress get in the way!
Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler; illustrated by Loren Long
Description:
Celebrates the skilled women and men who work to see the plans of architects, engineers, and designers brought to life.
Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang; illustrated by Charlene Chua
Description:
Amy is determined to make a perfect dumpling like her parents and grandmother do, but hers are always too empty, too full, or not pinched together properly.
2024 Bluestem Award (Grades 3-5)
Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
Description:
Thirteen-year-old Amari, a poor Black girl from the projects, gets an invitation from her missing brother to join the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs and join in the fight against an evil magician.
The Magical Imperfect by Chris Baron
Description:
Etan has stopped speaking since his mother left. His father and grandfather don’t know how to help him. His friends have given up on him. When Etan is asked to deliver a grocery order to the outskirts of town, he realizes he’s at the home of Malia Agbayani, also known as the creature. Malia stopped going to school when her acute eczema spread to her face, and the bullying became too much. Soon, other kids tease Etan for being friends with the creature. But he believes he might have a cure for Malia’s condition, if only he can convince his family and hers to believe it, too. Even if it works, will these two outcasts find where they fit in?
Opening the Road: Victor Hugo Green and His Green Book by Keila V. Dawson; illustrated by Alleanna Harris
Description:
A nonfiction picture book about The Green Book, a travel guide for African Americans during segregation, and the man who wrote it.
Maya and the Robot by Eve L. Ewing; illustrated by Christine Almeda
Description:
In desperate need of a friend–and a science project–Maya finds a robot named Ralph in Mr. Mac’s convenience store, and once she gets him up and running, a new world of connection opens up.
Long Distance by Whitney Gardner
Description:
Vega’s summer vacation is not going well. When her parents decide it’s time to pack up and leave her hometown of Portland, Oregon, behind for boring Seattle, Washington, Vega is more than upset–she’s downright miserable. Forced to leave her one and only best friend, Halley, behind, Vega is convinced she’ll never make another friend again. To help her settle into her new life in Seattle, her parents send Vega off to summer camp to make new friends. Except Vega is determined to get her old life back. But when her cellphone unexpectedly calls it quits and things at camp start getting stranger and stranger, Vega has no choice but to team up with her bunkmates to figure out what’s going on!
Ahmed Aziz’s Epic Year by Nina Hamza
Description:
Ahmed Aziz is having an epic year—epically bad. After his dad gets sick, the family moves from Hawaii to Minnesota for his dad’s treatment. Even though his dad grew up there, Ahmed can’t imagine a worse place to live. He’s one of the only brown kids in his school. And as a proud slacker, Ahmed doesn’t want to deal with expectations from his new teachers. But Ahmed surprises himself by actually reading the assigned books for his English class: Holes, Bridge to Terabithia, and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Shockingly, he doesn’t hate them. Ahmed also starts learning about his uncle, who died before Ahmed was born. Getting bits and pieces of his family’s history might be the one upside of the move, as his dad’s health hangs in the balance and the school bully refuses to leave him alone. Will Ahmed ever warm to Minnesota?
The Only Woman in the Photo: Frances Perkins and Her New Deal by Kathleen Krull; illustrated by Alexandra Bye
Description:
Biography of Frances Perkins, the first female member of the presidential cabinet, and architect of much of the New Deal legislation as Secretary of Labor.
Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd; illustrated by Michelle Mee Nutter
Description:
At home, Maggie is the odd one out. Her parents are preoccupied with the new baby they’re expecting, and her younger brothers are twins and always in their own world. Maggie thinks a new puppy is the answer, but when she goes to select one on her birthday, she breaks out in hives and rashes. She’s severely allergic to anything with fur! Can Maggie outsmart her allergies and find the perfect pet?
Everything Awesome About Sharks and Other Underwater Creatures! by Mike Lowery
Description:
Discover all there is to know about sharks and other underwater creatures! Including: Amazing–but true!–shark facts; A deep dive into awesome marine science; Hilarious deep sea jokes; How to draw sharks instructions; A comprehensive underwater field guide; and so much more! It’s time to find out everything awesome there is to know about the underwater world of sharks!
Shelter by Christie Matheson
Description:
While ten-year-old Maya attends an elite private school on scholarship her classmates are unaware that she and her family are living in a homeless shelter, but on one poignant day Maya discovers having a house is not the only way to have a home.
Chunky by Yehudi Mercado
Description:
Hudi needs to lose weight, according to his doctors. Concerned about the serious medical issue Hudi had when he was younger, his parents push him to try out for sports. Hudi would rather do anything else, but then he meets Chunky, his imaginary friend and mascot. Together, they decide to give baseball a shot. As the only Mexican and Jewish kid in his neighborhood, Hudi has found the cheerleader he never had, as Chunky cheers him on even when Hudi barely makes the team. Baseball doesn’t go well (unless getting hit by the ball counts), but the two friends have a great time drawing and making jokes. While Hudi’s parents keep trying to find the right sport for him, Chunky encourages him to pursue his true love–comedy. But when Hudi’s dad loses his job, it gets harder for Hudi to chart his own course, even with Chunky’s guidance. Can Chunky help Hudi stay true to himself or will this friendship strike out?
The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop Pollution Problem by Colleen Paeff; illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
Description:
This funny and informative picture book tells the story of Joseph Bazalgette, a 19th century engineer who designed London’s first comprehensive sewage system. In doing so, he saved thousands of lives from cholera outbreaks that regularly plagued the city. This STEM-focused story provides a window into the past and shows how one invention went on to affect generations to come-and teaches kids how they can prevent pollution in their own neighborhoods today.
The Unforgettable Logan Foster by Shawn Peters
Description:
Logan, an undersized twelve-year-old orphan with a photographic memory and no filter, discovers that his foster parents are superheroes in grave danger and only Logan’s highly logical mind can save them.
The Floating Field: How a Group of Thai Boys Built Their Own Soccer Field by Scott Riley; illustrated by Nguyen Quang and Kim Lien
Description:
On a tiny Thai island without room for a soccer field, a group of resourceful teen boys gathers scraps and works together to build a floating field so they can play the game they love.
The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead
Description:
Despite her parents’ divorce, her father’s coming out as gay, and his plans to marry his boyfriend, ten-year-old Bea is reassured by her parents’ unconditional love, excited about getting a stepsister, and haunted by something she did last summer at her father’s lake house.
Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom by Matthew Swanson; illustrated by Robbi Behr
Description:
Eight-year-old Ben takes a fortune cookie literally, and believing he has only one day left to live, tries to do everything he has always wanted to before nightfall.
The Elephants Come Home: A True Story of Seven Elephants, Two People, and One Extraordinary Friendship by Kim Tomsic; illustrated by Hadley Hooper
Description:
Lawrence Anthony and Françoise Malby love animals-so when they hear that a herd of wild African elephants needs a new home, they welcome the herd to their wildlife sanctuary–Thula Thula–with open arms. What follows in this beautifully illustrated true story is an extraordinary cross-species friendship that will move readers and warm the hearts of animal lovers at every age.
Katie the Catsitter by Katie AF Venable; illustrated by Stephanie Yue
Description:
Katie is dreading the boring summer ahead while her best friends are all away at camp — something that’s way out of Katie and her mom’s budget. But when Katie gets a job catsitting for her mysterious upstairs neighbor, life gets interesting. First, Madeline has 217 cats and they’re not exactly normal cats. Also, why is Madeline always out exactly when the city’s most notorious villain commits crimes? Is it possible that Katie’s upstairs neighbor is really a super villain? Can Katie wrangle a whole lot of wayward cats, save a best friendship, and crack the biggest story in the city’s history? Some heroes have capes…Katie has cats.
Ways to Make Sunshine by Reneé Watson; illustrated by Nina Mata
Description:
The Hart family of Portland, Oregon, faces many setbacks after Ryan’s father loses his job, but no matter what, Ryan tries to bring sunshine to her loved ones.
New From Here by Kelly Yang
Description:
Knox works to keep his family together as they move from Hong Kong back to northern California during the initial outbreak of the coronavirus.
2024 Rebecca Caudill Award (Grades 4-8)
Stamped (for kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You by Sonja Cherry-Paul, et al
Description:
RACE. Uh-oh. The R-word. But actually talking about race is one of the most important things to learn how to do. Adapted from the groundbreaking bestseller “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You,” Ibram X. Kendi’s research, Jason Reynolds’ and Sonja Cherry-Paul’s writing, and Rachelle Baker’s art come together in this vital read, enhanced with a glossary, timeline, and more.
My Life in the Fish Tank by Barbara Dee
Description:
When twelve-year-old Zinnia Manning’s older brother Gabriel is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, it turns her family’s world upside-down, especially since they are keeping the information private.
Frankie and Bug by Gayle Forman
Description:
In the summer of 1987 in Venice, California, ten-year-old Bug and her new friend Frankie learn important lessons about life, family, being your true self, and how to navigate in a world that is not always just or fair.
Alone by Megan E. Freeman
Description:
When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She’s alone–left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned. With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own. Her only companions are a Rottweiler named George and all the books she can read. After a rough start, Maddie learns to trust her own ingenuity and invents clever ways to survive in a place that has been deserted and forgotten. As months pass, she escapes natural disasters, looters, and wild animals. But Maddie’s most formidable enemy is the crushing loneliness she faces every day. Can Maddie’s stubborn will to survive carry her through the most frightening experience of her life?
Ahmed Aziz’s Epic Year by Nina Hamza
Description:
Ahmed Aziz is having an epic year—epically bad. After his dad gets sick, the family moves from Hawaii to Minnesota for his dad’s treatment. Even though his dad grew up there, Ahmed can’t imagine a worse place to live. He’s one of the only brown kids in his school. And as a proud slacker, Ahmed doesn’t want to deal with expectations from his new teachers. But Ahmed surprises himself by actually reading the assigned books for his English class: Holes, Bridge to Terabithia, and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Shockingly, he doesn’t hate them. Ahmed also starts learning about his uncle, who died before Ahmed was born. Getting bits and pieces of his family’s history might be the one upside of the move, as his dad’s health hangs in the balance and the school bully refuses to leave him alone. Will Ahmed ever warm to Minnesota?
The Last Cuentista by Donna Barbara Higuera
Description:
A girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita. But Petra’s world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children — among them Petra and her family — have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race. Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet — and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity’s past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard — or purged them altogether. Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again?
Ophie’s Ghosts by Justina Ireland
Description:
Ophelia Harrison used to live in a small house in the Georgia countryside. But that was before the night in November 1922, and the cruel act that took her home and her father from her. Which was the same night that Ophie learned she can see ghosts. Now Ophie and her mother are living in Pittsburgh with relatives they barely know. In the hopes of earning enough money to get their own place, Mama has gotten Ophie a job as a maid in the same old manor house where she works. Daffodil Manor, like the wealthy Caruthers family who owns it, is haunted by memories and prejudices of the past–and, as Ophie discovers, ghosts as well. Ghosts who have their own loves and hatreds and desires, ghosts who have wronged others and ghosts who have themselves been wronged. And as Ophie forms a friendship with one spirit whose life ended suddenly and unjustly, she wonders if she might be able to help–even as she comes to realize that Daffodil Manor may hold more secrets than she bargained for.
Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca
Description:
Reha feels torn between two worlds: school, where she’s the only Indian American student, and home, with her family’s traditions and holidays. But Reha’s parents don’t understand why she’s conflicted-they only notice when Reha doesn’t meet their strict expectations. Reha feels disconnected from her mother, or Amma, although their names are linked-Reha means “star” and Punam means “moon”–But they are a universe apart. Then Reha finds out that her Amma is sick. Really sick. Reha, who dreams of becoming a doctor even though she can’t stomach the sight of blood, is determined to make her Amma well again. She’ll be the perfect daughter, if it means saving her Amma’s life.
The Unforgettable Logan Foster by Shawn Peters
Description:
Logan, an undersized twelve-year-old orphan with a photographic memory and no filter, discovers that his foster parents are superheroes in grave danger and only Logan’s highly logical mind can save them.
City Spies by James Ponti
Description:
Sara Martinez is facing years in the juvenile detention system for hacking into the foster care computer system to prove that her foster parents are crooks. But then she gets a second chance when a mysterious man offers her a chance to join a group of MI6-affiliated spies.
A Game of Fox and Squirrels by Jenn Reese; illustrated by Jessica Roux
Description:
After an incident shatters their family, eleven-year-old Samantha Littlefield and her older sister, Caitlin, are sent to live in rural Oregon with an aunt they’ve never met. Sam wants nothing more than to go back to the way thing were…before she spoke up. When Aunt Vicky gives Sam a mysterious card game called A Game of Fox & Squirrels, Sam falls in love with the animal characters, especially the charming trickster fox, Ashander. Then one day Ashander shows up in Sam’s room and offers her an adventure and a promise: Find the Golden Acorn, and Sam can have anything she desires. But the fox is hiding rules that Sam isn’t prepared for, and her new home feels more welcoming than she’d ever expected. As Sam is swept up in the dangerous quest, the line between magic and reality grows thin. If she makes the wrong move, she’ll lose far more than just a game.
Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan
Description:
In this story inspired by Jules Verne’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” Ana Dakkar, a freshman at Harding-Pencroft Academy, a five-year high school that graduates the best marine scientists, naval warriors, navigators, and underwater explorers in the world, makes astounding discoveries about her heritage and puts her leadership skills to the test against deadly enemies from a rival school.
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
Description:
Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force. Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves–or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe. Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom? Master storyteller Ruta Sepetys is back with a historical thriller that examines the little-known history of a nation defined by silence, pain, and the unwavering conviction of the human spirit.
Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown by Steve Sheinkin
Description:
As World War II comes to a close, the United States and the Soviet Union emerge as the two greatest world powers on extreme opposites of the political spectrum. After the United States shows its hand with the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, the Soviets refuse to be left behind. With communism sweeping the globe, the two nations begin a neck-and-neck competition to build even more destructive bombs and win the space race. In their battle for dominance, spy planes fly above, armed submarines swim below, and undercover agents meet in the dead of night. The Cold War game grows more precarious as weapons are pointed toward each other, with fingers literally on the trigger. The decades-long showdown culminates in the Cuban Missile Crisis, the world’s close call with the third–and final–world war.
Barakah Beats by Maleeha Siddiqui
Description:
It’s Nimra Sharif’s first time going to public school. Nimra’s nervous, but as long as she has her best friend, Jenna, by her side, she figures she can take on just about anything. Unfortunately, middle school is hard. The teachers are mean, the schedule is confusing, and Jenna starts giving hijab-wearing Nimra the cold shoulder around the other kids. Desperate to fit in and save her friendship with Jenna, Nimra accepts an unlikely invitation to join Barakah Beats, a band mad up of popular eighth-grade boys. The only problem is, Nimra was taught that music isn’t allowed in Islam, and she knows her parents would be disappointed in her. So she devises a plan: join the band just until she wins Jenna back, then quit before her parents find out. but Nimra’s lies quickly start to unravel. And as she grows to care about her bandmates, Nimra has to decide whether to betray her new friends or herself.
A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
Description:
A boy on the run. A girl determined to find him. A compelling fantasy looks at issues of privilege, protest, and justice.
The Shape of Thunder by Jasmine Warga
Description:
Estranged from the best friend whose brother killed her sister in a school shooting, a grieving Cora receives a message on her twelfth birthday from her friend, asking for her help with creating a time portal to prevent the tragedy.
Turtle Boy by M. Evan Wolkenstein
Description:
Seventh-grader Will’s Bar Mitzvah community service project, visiting an incurably ill older boy in the hospital, leads to a friendship that is life-changing for both them and those around them.
Maizy Chen’s Last Chance by Lisa Yee
Description:
Eleven-year-old Maizy Chen visits her estranged grandparents, who own and run a Chinese restaurant in Last Chance, Minnesota; as her visit lengthens, she makes unexpected discoveries about her family’s history and herself.
City of Dragons by Jaimal Yogis; illustrated by Vivian Truong
Description:
When Grace moves to Hong Kong with her mom and new stepdad, her biggest concern is making friends at her fancy new boarding school. But when a mysterious old woman gifts her a dragon egg during a field trip, Grace discovers that the wonderful stories of dragons she heard when she was a young girl might actually be real–especially when the egg hatches overnight. The dragon has immense powers that Grace has yet to understand. And that puts them both in danger from mysterious forces intent on abusing the dragon’s power.